Tortured
by FourteenWays
Summary: "Behind that curtain of pain and consequence, there had to be a better life for me..." Mary Alice had lived her whole life in the Volturi's cellar, and her intriguing powers was what led to the tragedy. But can a certain twist of events change lives? JXA
1. Prologue

**Summary:  
**Mary Alice had never lived beyond her cellar. She had never seen the sun. Never seen any other human like her, and her intriguing little power was what led to the tragedy of being the Volturi's little slave.  
But what happens when certain events lead to an unexpected turn of lives?  
Caught in the downward spiral of fear, anxiety and hopelessness, will she be able to hold on to her sanity? Or will she succumb in to the flames of her mind?...

AXJ, AU, Cannon-pairings.

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**Prologue**

_"Our pain will shine a light to those who care,_

_and can extinguish the flames that ignite within us,_

_before they evolve into embers threatening to consume us,_

_and others around us,_

_Causing damage that others can see,_

_But only we can feel"_

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There was thick fog everywhere.

I couldn't see through the sudden blur that surrounded me. It was hard to push through, to go against the force that held me back from what was on the other side, hard to desire it enough to fight a battle I knew I would lose, hard to risk pain for something I didn't know existed in my life.

Love.

But I still fought. To the very inch of what was left of my will, I fought. I didn't know the reason. Whether I was just being desperate and naive or maybe because just I didn't have anything left to lose anymore. I didn't care.

The only thing that mattered was, behind that curtain of torture and consequence, there was something that turn my life around -make it better at least- and I would not live to regret not choosing to find out. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than the hell I was already in.

This was it, then.

I took a deep breath and ran through. The fog embraced me, lingering onto my skin and giving me goosebumps. The feeling even seemed pleasant for a moment, as the fog pressed against my body. I sighed delightfully, enjoying. Before I realised.

It was crushing me.

My breathing was cut off and I gasped for oxygen, my arms thrashing around. I reached forward, fighting against my emotions.

Fear, pain, Hopelessness.

Until I finally broke through.

I curled on to the the uneven, muddy surface and closed my eyes tightly. I was afraid of what I would see if I opened them. Would I be disappointed or surprised? Would there be anything to see? The thought made me cringe.

But if I didn't open them now, I'd never know. And that was what scared me the most. Never knowing what other paths were out there for me. Living in a small brick-wall room would make you wonder if there was a better life out there. That didn't have any pain in it.

My eyes opened to the light.

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First chapter within two days.  
Review please. :D


	2. Chapter 1: Fragile

**APOV**

I hissed at the blinding light, squeezing my eye lids tightly together.

My nails dug into the mushy soil as I gasped in shock. I could feel the slight burning in my eyes for never had I, in my life, seen so much light before.  
It took some time before my eyes adjusted to the brightness above me, though I avoided looking at it directly.

Hesitantly, I glanced around me, but all that was there were miles and miles of wheat fields. I could see everything so clearly, didn't have to squint. It seemed so strange, so beautiful, as if it were a painting. It didn't seem real.

I could feel the warmth from above me. It felt wonderful on my skin, nourishing it. I crawled off the muddy ground, thankful that I was out of that dark, scary forest. I did not look behind me once.

The long, dusty, fawn-colored strands hid me from everything I was scared to see. I felt somewhat safe, for once.

Taking off my torn up dress, I stretched on the grainy floor, savoring the sun.

And I wished. I wanted to live this way forever, never have to go back to that little brick room of torture. No. I did not want to live to go back there again. I'd rather die now. Right here. Under the sun. Not in a river of my own blood.

I lay there, not quite able to sleep. I looked wonderingly at the blue above me and wondered idly where the pillars of that roof were, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore. I trusted the sun. It would keep me alive. It would keep me safe... The warmth. Oh, the warmth. I didn't need anything else.

Before I knew it, I was asleep. Dreaming of the sun, the blue...

It felt like only a few minutes had passed when I woke. And I immediately noticed the arms under my knees, carrying me.

They were ice cold.

My arms thrashed around as I cried, but the cold arms held my firmly, if not threateningly. I thought about shouting apologies, but I knew I was over the line too much for that.

The hands went over my hair, my arms, caressing my cheek. It seemed like they were _soothing _me. I eventually went quiet, though the tears fell restlessly. Screaming would not make the situation any better. I braced myself for the pain.

But it didn't come.

I could hear faint whispers near, but it was not a familiar voice, not of Aro, Marcus, Cauis, Alec, Jane... Not the guards... Not anyone I knew.

That meant only that the pain would not come until later.

**JPOV**

Thank goodness she was quiet. The fear, the pain, I did not want to feel it. The only thing I felt from her now, was numbness. And that felt worse.

I tried to ignore those emotions as I walked up the porch steps of our Texas Mansion. The fragile little girl squirmed in my arms and muttered something about 'The Sun, The warmth'. I tried to understand. Why would any human want to be in the scorching heat in the middle of July?! She was quite pale, though. Must be from a cold area.

When I got inside, I gently sat her on the sofa. She immediately clutched her knees to her chest, her eyes studying my every move.

I back away and held my arms up palms forward "I won't hurt you."

She was thoughtful for a second, looking through me, at something further away, before abruptly her gaze set back on me.

Her voice was soft and scared "Not now...Not yet..."

Confused, I tried to make sense of her words. I opened my mouth to ask what she meant, when my phone abruptly vibrated in my pocket.

I put it to my ear. "Jasper?" Carlisle's voice spoke from the other line.

"Just the person I wanted to talk to..." I said, turning away from the girl and walking towards the kitchen.

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Not really. I found a half-naked girl in the fields by our house... She has a lot of bruises and scars. I think she's been abused."

Carlisle paused before he spoke "Oh. That's a bit shocking, considering there's no village or town anywhere near, where she may belong to...where is she now?"

I turned to the couch "She's here on the co...Carlisle, I'll call you later. Bye." I snapped the phone shut and ran outside.

Leaving the empty couch behind me.

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*Scratches temple* I don't really know if this is good, but hey!  
REVIEW :D


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